Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-02-17
THE MORNING BATE
putting q new song I'm the mouth and I'll
ness In the heart :"

putting q nov song in the mouth and glad
ness In the heart"
For clearing the brain. as well as the
complexion, for dissipating the linger-
ing vagaries of the night and setting
the blood tingling to the finger-tips, for
putting a new song in the mouth and q
gladness In the heart that no wine can
give, for making one feel that in spite
Of the lamentations Of the pessimist
and the indifference Of the sgnostic,
life is worth living to the uttermost,
there is nothing that can take the place
of the morning bath. IL Is said that
in Alaska tho Indian boys take
plunge bath every morning. even when
ii is necessary to break the ice, the
nearest sheet OF water serving for their
bath-tub, and that, on coming out, they
switch themselves dry with rods and
branches. But this heroic treatment,
while it may agree with Alaskan youths
and no doubt tends 20 make Spartans
of them. would be hazardous expert
ment for the heirs of our "higher civil
ization." Even plunge into cold
water in a comfortable bathroom gives
too great shock TO the system to be
safely INDUCED in, except by those
who have been accustomed to i, from
infancy; and however safe il might be. /
il would be impracticablc for the. ma
iority of those who live outside the
city limits, as comparatively few coun-
try houses are supplied with bsth-tubs.
But tub Of water is by no means
necessary for an invigorating bath.
DR. Dio Lewis, in lecturing to his
classes. urged the Importance of the
morning bath, even il not more than o
pint Of cold water could be obtained
for the purpose, the benefit depending
more on the friction than on the
amount of water used.
For ordinary bathing the foot Of a
coarse cotton stocking Or a knitted
wash-cloth made TO fit the hand. like
mitten. is much better than q sponge.
but for the upper part Of the body
nothing is better than the naked hand.
One should never stand with bare feet
while bathing; either give the feet a
good rubbing with wash-cloth and
towel on first getting out of bed. put
ting the stockings and shoes on Ut
once, or put on pair Of warm slip
pers and let the feet wait till the rest
of the bath il taken. Then e'girding
the loins" dash tho water over the
throat, chest, shoulders and back. down
to the waist, and after rubbing vigor-
ously with moderately coarse towel
put on the upper under-garments and
continue the process. using the wash
cloth instead of the naked hand for the
rest of the body. II is not necessary
10 consume more than ten minutes in
the operation, and this sort of bath.
even if taken in tireless room on a
November morning will put the bather
in glow that will last till the re-
mainder OF the toilet is made.
OF course for delicate child or an
invalid il would not be advisable 10 be-
gin this regimen in cold weather. but
if practised during the summer it can
safely be continued through the winter
in room where there Is sufficient heat
to take of the chill. And "A child or
an adult who has had vigorous rub
bling from head to foot is much more
likely to come to the breakfast table
rosy and smiling than one who has
washed only the face and hands.
The best time for warm bath is at
night, shortly before retiring. as the
relaxing Of the system opens the way
for colds. Many n serious cold is
brought on by exposure after warm
bath. / have in mind a young girl
who one bleak afternoon took warm
bath and little later went sleigh rid
ing. The result was cold on the
lungs that very nearly proved fatal. \
An excess Of bathing, even in sums
mer, is more or less facilitating.
Scarcely summer passes that We do
not hear Of some one who has been
harmed by too much salt water bath
ing; and one may he equally harmed
by too much bathing indoors. Per-
sons who perspire freely often injure
themselves, in their over-fastidious-
ness. by changing the under-garments
two or three times in the course Of the
day and accompanying every change
with a bath, rs the process necessarily
reduces the vitality. But with man
kind in general the tendency is TO do
too little rather than too much bath
ing. In winter. especially, there is q
shrinking NON contact with water that
is not at least lukewarm; vet there is
nothing like cold water for strengthen
ing the throat and lungs and terrifying
one against colds, and if in addition to
the weekly bath with soap and warm
water, that every civilized being Is
supposed TO take for simple cleanliness
sake, the masses could be persuaded to
take good rubbing off daily with cold
water it would so long way toward
renovsting the race physically, intel
lectually and spiritually. For those
who lead a sedentary life this tonic is
even more essential than for those who
are much in the open air.---Mory B.
Slcight, in Good housekeeping.